Black Classical Music

I’m not a musician—I can’t even carry a tune. Even whistling is a struggle for me. When I’m looking for music to listen to, I want something relaxing that will soothe my anxiety, improve my creative flow or my mood, and either help me focus or sleep. Many of Nina Simone’s songs fit quite nicely into those categories, covering a number of genres including classical, jazz, and folk.

Tragically, Nina Simone died in 2003 but her music lives on, spreading far beyond the over 40 original albums she recorded. She was born as Eunice Kathleen Waymon in North Carolina in 1933, and by all accounts was a musical prodigy at the age of three. I can barely recall anything before the age of ten! She went on with dreams of becoming a concert pianist but was denied admission to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia which she attributes to racial discrimination. She didn’t give up of course. Eunice played piano at a bar and grill in New Jersey, which is when she started singing jazz. One of her last albums was recorded in 1974 and she described her own style as Black Classical Music. In 2002 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Only a few days before her death Eunice received an honorary degree from the same school that had rejected her at the start of her career.

Eunice was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1995. The simplified definition of bipolar disorder: It is a mental health issue that can cause extreme mood swings with emotionally high states, usually called mania, followed by depression in a continuous cycle. Like millions around the world, I have also struggled with mental health. I don’t have bipolar disorder, but depression nearly took my life when I was eighteen. I am incredibly fortunate that I was able to seek help and while I still have seasonal affective disorder during the winter months I know I am not alone in the persistent mental battle. Remember to take care of yourself! Have compassion and maybe listen to some Nina Simone if you are looking for some soothing songs to quell your anxiety.

Nina Simone has inspired a long list of artists and her music has been featured in films, tv, and video games like The Big Lebowski (1998), Six Feet Under (2004), Miami Vice (2006), Repo Men (2010), and Acrimony (2018). One of her cover songs was in the finale of a favourite cartoon of mine, BoJack Horseman (2016). BoJack Horseman also takes a look at the dark side of mental health. I’m honestly shocked Nina Simone didn’t make it into any of the Fallout soundtracks and I haven't even mentioned her work as an activist.

A few of my favourites by Nina Simone:

Feeling Good

"Birds flying high

You know how I feel

Sun in the sky

You know how I feel"

Love Me or Leave Me

"Say, love me or leave me and let me be lonely

You won't believe me but I love you only

I'd rather be lonely than happy with somebody else"

Plain Gold Ring

"When nighttime comes a' callin' on me

I know why I will never be free

I can't stop these teardrops of mine

I'm gonna love him till the end of time"

Mr. Bojangles

He shook his head

And as he shook his head

I heard someone ask him

Please, please

Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles

Mr. Bojangles, dance!

Do What You Gotta Do

"Man, I can understand how it might be

Kinda hard to love a girl like me

I don't blame you much for wanting to be free"

I’ve Got it Bad (And That Ain’t Good)

"Like a lonely weeping willow lost in the wood

I got it bad and that ain't good!

And the things I tell my pillow no woman should

I got it bad and that ain't good!"

Mood Indigo

"You ain't been blue, no, no, no

You ain't never been blue

Till you've had that mood indigo

That feeling goes stealing down to my shoes"

And the list goes on the longer I listen! To hear more by Nina Simone check her out on Spotify or wherever you listen to music.

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Everything is connected. Written by Kelsey Reich on February 17/2021 in Ontario, Canada.